ST. PAUL’S SPIRITUAL ENHANCEMENT SERIES – SESSION 5, October 21, 2020, 7:30 PM over Zoom Conferencing By Tom Leavens
“Then Peter came up and said to Him, “Lord, how many times shall my brother sin against me and I still forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus *said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy-seven times.” (Matt 18:21-22)
St. Paul’s Cursillo hosted the fifth installment of their Spiritual Enhancement Series on Wednesday, October 21, 2020, over Zoom conferencing. The theme of the evening was “The Gift of Forgiveness,” & our guest speakers with Joe Amato were Angie-Lee Vazquez, Jim Reid & Rob Spina. This was a special night hearing from three Cursillistas! Joe invited them to share their personal stories of forgiveness that touched on themselves, the people in their lives & God. Here are the descriptions of our guests:
* For almost a decade, Angie-Lee Vazquez has been the Director of Religious Education at St. Barbara’s Parish in Brooklyn, NY, where she also leads the youth ministry group, various faith sharing programs & coordinates parish-wide intergenerational events. She has been a Team member & Rectora of the Women’s Cursillo for the last five years after making her Cursillo weekend in July 2014.
* James Reid made his Cursillo weekend 19 years ago (#189). Jimmy grew up in Astoria, Queens, and currently resides in Hicksville, LI, with his wife, Rosa, and two children, Sean & Chloe. He recently celebrated his 15th anniversary at Charter Communications. Jim’s greatest passion is helping others recover from addiction. One of his hobbies is inviting God into his golf game.
* Robert Spina was born & raised in Bayside, Queens, and moved to Fort Lauderdale, FL, four years ago. He made his Cursillo about 5 years ago. He is an Enterprise Software Sales Director for Donnelley Financial Solutions since 2014. His passions include motorcycles, cooking, building/construction projects and real estate. He enjoys being an uncle and being at peace.
Joe asked each of them to share what their Cursillo did for them and, then, to share a story of forgiveness. After each gave so much of themselves to the question, Joe shared a video about Oprah Winfrey & her powerful story of forgiveness with her mother (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKzXoBfntDo). The evening concluded with feedback & prayers.
St. Paul’s Cursillo Community now has a YouTube channel ( https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVucRnZyIfWQi5GnyWO5-kQ) where we post some of our sessions (contingent on the permission of the guests). Currently, there are four videos posted for viewing. Please subscribe to our channel and feel free to share it with others. We hope that this can encourage people to accept the invitation of Cursillo and make their weekend!
For our November session, Joe Amato will lead a discussion with Deacon Rich Gilligan and, in December, Sr. Marie Mackey. Thank you for supporting St. Paul’s in all we offer!